by Brigitte | January 27, 2023 | blog, health, nutrition
Calcium for vegans and plant-based eaters: should we be worried? Americans and Canadians, and some Europeans, have repeatedly been told that we need to drink milk and consume dairy products for bone health. Going vegan can feel like a rebellion against the established...
by Brigitte | January 13, 2023 | blog, meal prep, nutrition, program, strategies
If you can find one hour to for meal prep / batch cooking at any time in the week, you can prepare really good food you will enjoy throughout the week. It won’t be perfect, but it will provide you with a solid base for meals that improve your nutrition and...
by Brigitte | January 5, 2023 | blog, health, podcast, vegan journey
Charlyn Black trained as a family doctor more than forty years ago, but most of her career has been as a scholar dedicated to understanding the social determinants of health for over three decades. She is now a Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public...
by Brigitte | December 14, 2022 | blog, podcast
Today on the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast I meet with Crystal Bonnet, raw vegan chef and author of the just-published beautiful book The Art of Raw Desserts. Crystal is a graduate of the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy and of the Pure Joy Academy. She develops unique...
by Brigitte | December 3, 2022 | blog, health, mindfulness, podcast
How can the principles of mindfulness and compassion support a transition away from overeating and food addiction? I had the good luck of exploring this topic with Karen Steiner in conversation for the Vegan Family Kitchen Podcast. Listen to the episode: Watch on...
by Brigitte | November 18, 2022 | blog, grocery shopping, meal planning, strategies
Rising food costs are a concern for most households these days. How to save money on healthy vegan food? I propose a strategy that goes deeper than perusing flyers. Warning: mindset shifts ahead. Ask where your (food) money going How much of your money are you...
by Brigitte | October 24, 2022 | blog, podcast
Flow in the Kitchen: Practices for Healthy Stress-Free Vegan Cooking is not a cookbook. Cookbooks can be useful and beautiful… but they don’t make us cook. Who hasn’t ordered ready-made meals instead of cooking at home, despite having lots of cookbooks, a fridge full...
by Brigitte | September 21, 2022 | blog, family, podcast, subscriber spotlight, vegan parents in the kitchen
“I’ve always hated cooking,” wrote Gemma McFall in her newsletter to her coaching clients. In a desperation-driven Google search session, she somehow stumbled upon my Vegan Meal Plans and was able to turn her kitchen situation around. How did that...
by Brigitte | September 12, 2022 | blog, health, podcast, vegan journey, zero-waste
Babita Shresta thought she had landed on another planet when she first visited a grocery store in Minnesota. Coming from rural Nepal, where as a child she learned to cook fresh vegetables and simmer lentils alongside her grandfather, she had never seen packaged...
by Brigitte | June 1, 2022 | blog, how-to, meal prep, pantry cooking, recipe, zero-waste
Everyone, vegan or not, should eat at least a cup of cooked beans every day. And what’s the best way to stock your pantry with wholesome beans? In my opinion, nothing beats cooking dry beans from scratch. In this post I will: explain why I consider it better to...
by Brigitte | May 20, 2022 | blog, health, nutrition, podcast
When a client says “I am concerned about including soy products in my plant-based diet because of the cancer risk,” this is the information I can provide them. In short: no, you should not avoid eating soy for fear of increasing your cancer risk. Quite the opposite!...
by Brigitte | May 19, 2022 | blog, family, health, nutrition, podcast, pregnancy
Can fertility improve with a plant-based diet? Research certainly seems to be on the side of a reduction in meat intake having a positive effect. Generally, healthy plant-based diets focused on whole foods also have the potential to improve many of the factors that...
by Brigitte | May 11, 2022 | blog, family, health, nutrition, podcast
Iron for vegans and plant-based eaters: should we be worried? Iron is a common concern of well-meaning friends and relatives, upon learning that a loved one is going vegan or committing to eating more plants (and fewer animals). Since most people still think of meat...
by Brigitte | April 28, 2022 | blog, health, how-to, nutrition, pantry cooking, program
Plants have all the nutrients we need to sustain good health and prevent disease. How can we make the most of what they have to offer without spending our whole days in the kitchen? How can plant-based eaters increase their odds of getting all the iron, calcium,...
by Brigitte | April 21, 2022 | blog, podcast
Earth Day is a timely moment to reflect on how we are connected to our natural environment and to all the other beings who share this planet with us. I am humbled to be joined by Reverend Ian White Maher, a Unitarian Universalist minister and also the founder of The...